If you were not aware from the 28th February 2009 through to the 8th March 2009 is what is know as Fairtrade Fortnight.  This is a annual event which promotes fairtrade products to all of us in the UK.

When purchasing foods you should be looking for the Fairtrade mark.

Still today millions of the worlds poorest farmers are trapped in trade poverty. The fairtrade mark you see here is now recognised by 70% of people in the UK now and it can be found on more than 4000 food, drink and clothing products. UK fairtrade sales are growing and more than 7.5 million farmers, workers and their families over 59 developing countries benefit from this international fairtrade system, so are you doing your bit?

Well this 2 week campaign is holding a world record attempt for the most number of people simultaneously to be eatting fairtrade bananas across the UK, so if you haven’t already get on board and sign up here to do your bit!

Looking forward to a great March? well look out for the weather tomorrow. Coming from a farming background if March ‘comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb’ and if it ‘comes in like a lamb it goes out like a lion’. So you have been warned whats in store. Further more we have St Davids day, St Patricks Day and Mothers day to look forward to, so for great ideas, recipes and many great kitchen gadgets keep reading and sending in your comments to me.

Well I was reading a really interesting article regarding how our moods and energy levels slump in winter months. Why?

It seems we all experience a slump in serotonin levels. Serotonin is hormone which is in the pineal gland, blood platelets, the digestive tract and in the brain. Serotonin acts both as a chemical messenger transmitting nerve signals and also causes blood vessels to narrow. Changes in Serotonin levels for example in the brain alter our moods and can bring about depression.

Getting sunlight and eatting specific foods can help, as sunlight produces serotonin. Eatting foods which are rich in a amino acid called tryptophan which serotonin is made from, can reduce our symptons. Which include fatigue, carb craving and depression. Such foods are turkey, fish, tofu, chicken, cheese, beans and eggs.  It can also help by eatting fish rich in omega 3 oils.

So cook up some sunny dishes full of these ingredients to boost the family during winter months when we all lack daylight and sunshine. Not long to spring now. (Have you spotted the snowdrops yet?)

So what better then to bake your own bread and whip up some scrummy scrambled egg to enjoy. For a perfect scambled egg, (a breakfast favourite in my house) your going to need: 4 large fresh free range eggs (I get mine from my local farm just down the road, still warm), sea salt, black pepper, a dessert spoon of best butter, (or as my grandma would say a good knob of butter).

Crack your eggs into a bowl, adding a pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper beat these together. Put a pan over a low heat and add your butter, melting this slowly which you pour your eggs into while stiring with a wooden spoon . Your eggs are ready when they are still slightly runny and undercooked, as the heat will continue to cook the eggs while your spread butter on your freshly made toast.  You can’t beat fresh farm eggs in the morning!

Make sure you have a selection of wooden spatulas and spoons for all your cooking needs their applications in the kitchen are endless.

What is your favourite way of cooking eggs, poach, fry, boil, scramble? Let me know.

If my daughters in town so to speak she will always try to make it for Sunday roast and more to the point she’s straight to the point to say ‘Please do your roast pork?’, hint hint, I ask you.

Well thats my que as I know for sure come mid morning she will swan full speed in to the kitchen followed by her hubby saying, ‘I’m starving is dinner ready?’, as if she hasn’t been fed for months. Children hey! we love them to bits, don’t we mums?  She’s such a character and really full of the cooking bug presently, more than ever, since starting her own veggy patch last year.  She has turned it in to a competition now and she immediately enquires whether I have planted my potatoes and onions yet as Emma planted her’s last weekend, What have I created hey!

Anyway my local butcher as usual came up trumps with a fantastic piece of local boned foreloin pork, which I know will give me a fantastic result everytime and being a boned joint it carves beautifully.

Your going to need: 3 to 4lb piece of foreloin pork, oil for brushing, 1 tbsp sea salt, and for some great stuffing, 25g butter, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 chopped onion, 100g chopped dried apricots, 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage, 2 crushed garlic gloves, 100g fresh white breadcrumbs and 1 beaten egg. Then for your gravy get 2 tsp flour, 300ml cider or white wine and seasoning.

One note before we start do not baste the pork rind during cooking else your pork crackling will be soft, if the rind has not crackled before the joint has finished cooking then simply remove the rind and snip into strips with kitchen scissors and place under a hot grill until crisp and crackled.  So lets make the stuffing first by heating the butter and oil in a pan and gently fry your onions until softened. Mix together the apricots, sage, garlic & breadcrumbs, then stir in the onions and seasoning, add in your beaten egg and mix well together. Now preheat the oven to 180 c/ 350f/ gas 4. Take your joint and score the pork skin at about 5mm intervals and turn over. Spoon your stuffing mix along the centre and roll up your joint and tie with string at intervals along the joint to secure it. Now weigh your joint and calculate your cooking time at around 30 minutes per 450g plus 30 minutes. Brush with the oil and sprinkle the sea salt over the skin rubbing it in. Place your pork joint in a roasting tin and cover any exposed stiffing with a small piece of foil (so it dosen’t burn but no the pork) and place in your preheated oven noting your cooking times.

When the joint is cooked transfer to a serving plate and leave it to rest in a warm place for 20 minutes at least. Meanwhile pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin leaving behind the juices from the pork joint. Stir in the flour (of your choice if you have intolerances) into the juices in the roasting tin and cook for 1 minute on the hob while stirring. Slowly stir in the cider or white wine, (we personally love a locally made cider, full of sharpness) of your choice until the gravey is thickened and smooth. Boil your gravy rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes and then season to your taste. Strain your gravy in to a jug and keep warm.  Your pork joint should be rested now so cut the string and cut through the fat just underneath the pork crackling and remove the crackling and cut into pieces. Carve your pork and serve with your homemade gravy, crackling, homemade apple sauce and a selection of fresh roasted vegetables. Then open the wine and enjoy a fantastic sunday roast!

This Stellar pans 6000 Hard Anodised Pans Roasting Pan with Rack 36 x 27cm will gives you endless years of service for great sunday roasts with its classically styled mirror finished polished stainless steel lids and sculpted cast handles. It has a premium quality non-stick finish which is suitable for all conventional hobs, except induction and dishwasher safe.

What home coming meal would you cook for friends or family?

February is still the season of leafy greens and root vegetables with onions, leeks, spring and winter cabbages, kale and brussel. Parsnips, carrots and artichokes. Then there is celery, swede, potatoes and shallots too. All of which make great meals such as sensational soups, gratins and even bubble & squeak for instance.

Game as I have mentioned previously is growing in popularity being offered in many good butchers and farm shops now and goose and guinea fowl are still available along with venison and hare. Various seafoods are in season like crab, cod and its alternatives, along with cockles & mussels and Halibut.

If your not sure always ask but a good butchers, farm shop, farmers market, delicatessen etc will always show produce in season at the time and by buying in season you not only gain in the pocket by buying when these produces are at their most economic but also when they are more nutrious for you too.

The chinese believe that mother nature produces seasonal foods as a way of produces such items that we need during this period of the year and by eatting according to the season as many of our grandparents did you body gets exactly what it needs in order to get through to the next season in tip top condition.  There is definitely some logic in this!

Try this great warmer and filling Potato Soup which my boys & men love:

100g pork belly cut into strips, 1 onion and 1 leek chopped, 450g floury potatoes cubed (like king edward or maris piper), 1.2 litres good homemade chicken stock, 1 bay leaf, 55g parsley, seasoning and 3 tblsp double cream ( of your choice).

Fry your pork belly strips over a medium heat with out any fat until brown and crispy. Stir in the onion & leek and cook for 1 minute then add your potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in your stock, add the bay leaf, parsley and seasoning and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are just breaking up. Lift out the pork & bay leaf and puree the vegetables until smooth with a hand held blender. 

For a great hand blender to use with your home kitchen if your on a budget and need something that does the job you cannot fo wrong with the Kuhn Rikon Hand Blender not only is this blender at a great price but you get 300w of high power motor, 2 speeds and a measuring cup and chopping container. You also get a whisk attachment and stainless steel rod and blade for a great kitchen gadget which you will use over and over again.

 Reheat the soup gently adding back the pork and stir in the cream. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and fresh home baked bread.

What seasonal produce have you been using during February? why not tell me about one of your seasonal recipes and if you would like me to details more seasonal recipes for you?

When buying fresh fish ecological awareness is an important consideration  as you need to be buying a sustainable fish with the over-fishing of certain species of fish. A sustainable fish which I have been buying is Pollack, which is a member of the cod family and is similar in texture & taste with firm white flaky flesh. Pollack is in season from December to March so you still have time to enjoy and give it a go.

Why not try roasted pollack & garlic butternut squash mash for a great combination of flavours. You are going to need: 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp fresh thyme, salt & freshly ground pepper, 1 butternut squash cut into wedges, olive oil, 1 tbsp butter, juice of 1 lemon, lemon wedges  & rocket to serve and 4 Pollack fillets.

Firstly roast your butternut squash wedges and garlic cloves (both still in their skins) on a oiled baking tray in a preheated oven 200 c, fan 180c, gas 6 for 25 to 30 minutes. Scoop out the butternut squash flesh and squeeze out the garlic into a bowl and mash well, stirring in the thyme and olive oil then season to your personal taste and cover to keep warm. Grease a ovenproof dish with halve of the butter and arrange pollack fillets in, season well dot the top of the fish fillets with butter and pour over the lemon juice. Cook your pollock for about 15 minutes until opaque and then leave to stand for about 3 minutes. Serve a spoonful of the mash on a warmed plate top with the roasted pollack fillet and garnish with rocket and lemon wedges.

What fish are you currently buying? have you a friday night fast food meal you and your family enjoy why not tell me about it?

While preparing a meal for some family friends who are returning to Britian for a short stay to visit and catch up with everyone I was torn between what best to serve them, then remembering how much Helen loved chocolate desserts and how we would sneak in a dessert with a coffee when ever we hit the shops together in the past.

I had prepared a soup starter made from beautiful fresh brocolli and some superb local stilton I had fetched specially from our local deli, for main we had a indulgent lamb roast as this was always Helen’s and Tom’s favourite when they would come over to mine to eat. So I wanted a dessert they could take a memory back to singapore with them. I came up with a Chocolate truffle tart which I have to say was ’sinfully delicious’ and went down a treat!

So for a superb melt in the mouth pastry filled with velvety chocolate you will need: 500g shortcrust pastry (homemade or brought. Always keep a pack of pastry in the freezer for unexpected guests), 115ml Double Cream, 75ml full fat milk, 2 tbsp Tia Maria Liquer ( you can use another Liquer if you have a favourite), 115g dark 70% chocolate (broken into pieces) I love green & blacks variety, 12 cherries (fresh, frozen, tinned or glazed) and single cream ot a indulgent homemade ice cream to serve.  Remember if you have a dairy intolerance replace cows milk and cream with soya alternatives or a variety you use, same with the pastry use your flour if you are wheat intolerant etc.

Preheat your oven to 180 C/ 350 F/ gas 4 then on a floured surface roll out your pastry to around 6mm thick and cut out 4 circles with a 15cm cutter or a saucer and place in 4 10cm round tart tins.

These  Faringdon Set of 4 Non-Stick Individual Quiche/Tart Pans are perfect for tarts and quiches.

Place your parchment paper and baking beans into your pastry cases and bake blind for 25 mins then without the beans and parchment for a further 10 minutes and then leave to cool. (Check out my previous blogs on baking and freezing pastry cases for ease of baking)

Meanwhile in a pan bring 50ml cream and the milk just to the boil, remove from the heat and stir in the Tia Maria and whisk in chocolate until smooth and cool. Lightly whip the remaining cream and fold in the cooled chocolate mis and spoon this into the tart cases. Level the tops and chill in the refridgerator for about 3 hours. Top with your cherries (if using fresh leave the stalks in for a fantastic display and you can dust with icing sugar or cocoa and serve with either cream of ice cream of your choice.

Helen and Tom loved this dessert and together with the rich red wine we had a terrific evening of great food and company along with some terrific memories!

You can take this dessert and make a variety of flavours why not try adding a orange liquer and topping with orange slices, or you can add a mint liquer and top with mint leaves the varieties are endless so why not experiment and let me know which version you have tried and which is you favourite?

There are lots of reasons which make all of us look at ways of cutting energy consumption in the home. This could be concerns for the planet, back in the 1994 it was the introduction of VAT upon our domestic fuel bills which made me look at more energy efficient appliances and now today the ever growing home fuel bill increases which affect us all in the pocket.

Advances in technology have made alot of house appliances cheaper to run however the drawback is sometimes the fact that these ranges often cost more to buy, not the way obviously to make all of us think greener I know!

Check the EC Eco Labelling symbols to meet set criterias for efficient use of energy when buying household applicances.

Every Kitchen needs a oven and I know I have blogged about bi fuel cooking before but in the frame living the country I have always made sure because of having the inevitable power cuts that I utilise a AGA which uses gas, electric and wood so if one source of energy is taken away from me I can use the others, which personally I have found invaluable over the years.

With the main oven a fan oven saves money and time as it dosen’t need to be preheated. This type of oven also cooks at a temperature around 20C lower than the conventional ovens on the market. A basic model can cost anything from £180 upwards depending on if you are after a single or double oven and if you are looking for a built in or free standing oven version, which all makes a difference to the price.

Indesit FID20Ax double built in fan oven (as shown above, which you can get in a range of colours including black, stainless steel & white) has the features of a cook fan oven to fit in to any modern kitchen today. With features such as Variable grill, fan oven, programmable oven, digital timer, easy clean oven lining, double galzed door and interior light. This oven is 600 wide by 900 heigh and a depth of 577 to fit inside of a fitted kitchen arrangement.

Obviously as per my previous blogs for small meals a microwave oven cooks in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost so this offers a ideal solution to a busy family, elderly person or student away from home who is cooking for one.

What are your cooking preferences? do you prefer gas to electric? fan or conventional? or even freestanding or built in?

Well this year shrove tuesday falls on the 24th February 2009, so are you ready.

To turn out the perfect pancakes to feed the family you going to need a non stick pancake pan which is made for job.

I think this Kitchen Craft Crepe/Pancake Pan   (shown right) is a great product and whats more it comes with a classic pancake recipe printed on its base so you cannot go wrong and always have a pancake recipe to hand. This great pancake pan has

• Quality non-stick interior with 2mm base
• Ergonomic handle with integral hanging loop
• Suitable for electric and gas
• Sugar and Lemon pancake recipe printed on reverse
• Dishwasher safe, diameter - 24cm

and a great price too so make sure you have the right pan for the job its makes the difference. Your pancakes will not stick due to the non-stick interior and the shallow edges make pancake tossing alot easier.

So with you pan to hand lets cook pancakes, to make some perfect pancakes for 4 people you are going to need: 225g plain flour sifted, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 large free range eggs, 600ml Milk of your choice and oil.

Whisk your shifted flour, salt and eggs in a bowl, then continuing to whisk add the milk until smooth. Heat 1 tsp oil in your pancake pan pour in the batter to thinly coat the base of the pancake pan and fry for 2 minutes making sure you toss your pancake half way through. Keep repeating this process and you should make 8 pancakes.

My husbands favourite topping is chocolate orange. By heating 150ml double cream just to the boil then take off the heat and add 150g dark chocolate broken up and 2 tblsps grand marnier and then stir until smooth and pour over your pancakes.  If you have intolerances just use wheat gree or gluten free flour if dairy is a problem use you soya or oat milks etc and their are even egg substitutes available now so you don’t have to miss out on this annual feast.

Tell me what your favourite pancake topping is?

This variety of mushroom only resemble the chestnut by their shape and colour, as they are very often referred to as brown mushrooms. With their rich colour, nuttier flavour and meatier texture these varieties were originally from Japan.  Chestnut mushrooms contain protein, fibre & b vitamins and with their high water content they are low in calories too. The chinese believe that mushrooms are a aphrodisiac, so they are perfect in a dish for Valentines! Even the egyptians believed that mushroom where the plant of immortality and they were reserved only for royal consumption. So treat your loved one like royalty and serve them mushrooms.

Try not to over cook these tasty mushrooms, simply wash them and trim back the stem if needs be but don’t disguard the stem it full of flavour.  These chestnut mushrooms are great in stews, stir fries, casseroles, pasta and risotto  or simply roasted.

Why not try our herbed mushrooms: Simply wash trim and halve 250g chestnut mushrooms, melt 50g of butter and 1 tblsp oil in a pan and fry your mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes. Add 2 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 packet of finely chopped rosemary leaves, season and cook for a further 8 to 10 minutes until all the juices have gone, simply divine!

Mushroom picking in the early misty morning while out walking the dogs is fantastic. Picking them so fresh and then bringing them home for breakfast is a real treat. So much so that my dog Oliver thought he was missing out, as I gently collected each mushroom, so it wasn’t long before he started eatting them, before I could get to pick them. I actually grow my own now and you can buy mushroom kits from most garden centres, they are a brilliant idea and kids love watching them grow, just watch your pets!

There are apparently over 5,000 named varieties of pear all of which have descended from the ordinary common pear. There are however very few varieties on sale at anyone time and the Conference pear is available all the year round.

When you choose your pears try to make sure they feel firm so you can leave them to ripen at home so make sure you buy from a shop or market stall where you can feel your fruit before you buy. A ripe pear gives slightly around the stem when you squeeze it however it should not be squashy.

I have a great recipe for Pear Flan, Gran loved pears and we would spend hours collecting in the harvest from the orchards when we knew our reward at the end of the day would be a slice of her delicious pear flan.

You will need: 150g plain flour, 100g butter, 50g caster sugar, 50g ground almonds, 1 egg (beaten), 1 large and very ripe pear and 2 tsps of apricot jam (homemade is best, so if you missed my homemade jam recipes which were on my summer berrie blogs, I will blog about some more great jam recipes soon, so keep reading).

Preheat your oven 180 c / 350 f/ gas 4. Weigh out 100g of flour and 50g butter and put into a large mixing bowl. Using your finger tips rub the butter and the flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs. Now mix in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water until it forms a soft dough and wrap in cling film placing this in the fridge for at least 30 minutes until it is firm.

Roll out your pastry with a rolling pin until your pastry is large enough to fit your flan tin and carefully place your pastry into your flan tin and remove excess pastry (the quick way is to roll your rolling pin over the top of your flan tin). Now place the rest of the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and using a electric whisk beat until light and fluffy. Mix the ground almonds, 15g flour and the egg and stir these into your butter and sugar mix. Spread this over your pastry. Peel and quarter your pear. Taking each quarter cut into slices (keeping one end attached) push down to create a fan shape and repeat this on the other quarters of pear. Then gently push each fan shape into your tart. Put your tart in the oven baking for 40 to 45 minutes and firm in the centre.  Place the apricot jam and 1 tblsp of water in to a small saucepan and bring to the boil stirring with a wooden spoon. While the tart is warm brush the jam over the top and serve either hot or cold.

Why not send me your pear recipes?, have you got a favourite variety or do you grown your own fruit?